Lasers

Laser diodes used to illuminate telecom fiberoptic cables keep getting smaller and smaller. But they still generate heat that needs to be removed.

The Videojet 3430 combines high-speed coding and 50 W of laser power for beverage, brewing, food, packaging, and extrusion lines.

Supersonic flight over the continental U.S. is prohibited because of the potential damage from sonic booms, i.e., pressure waves from the jet that slam into the ground.

Kromberg & Schubert, an automotive supplier in Germany, has developed the first 3D molded-interconnected-devices (3D-MID) made from a new laser-structurable polyamide: Electronic conductors are integrated directly into the 3D-MID surface.

A VW Passat with three prototype laser sensors concealed in the body will compete in the next Darpa Challenge.

Laser light rather than heat can strip hydrogen atoms from silicon surfaces, sayresearchers at the University of Minnesota, Vanderbilt, the University ofTennessee, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

The scanner projects laser light onto a surface to be measured while a camera triangulates the reflections.

Most organic molecules have a distinctive absorption pattern in the mid-infrared band between about 3 and 20 m.

Integrating best-in-class components creates highly productive manufacturing systems.

A five-axis laser-machining process forms complex geometries into gas-turbine blades and vanes with a level of accuracy previously possible only with EDM.

Laser encoders used to measure position can be complicated and difficult to install.

Several vehicles competing in the Darpa Grand Challenge last March got navigational help from a laser-measurement system from Sick, Minneapolis.

If the laser sensor finds a problem, a robotic arm removes the bad chip.